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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · branch · track · craft · game · row · spring · bay

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. craft — boats
  4. saw — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. track — a path
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. track — to keep track
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. game — a match
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. track — a song
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com